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Hailed recently by the Daily Telegraph as ‘a voice of real distinction’, Nicky Spence is fast emerging as one of ‘our finest young singers’. An artist of great integrity, Nicky’s unique skills as a singing actor and the rare honesty in his musicianship are steadfastly earning him a place at the top of the profession. Highlights for this season include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Brian Two Boys, Steersman The Flying Dutchman in concert with the CBSO under Andris Nelsons and at Scottish Opera, his Grange Park Opera debut as Chevalier de la Force Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Don Ottavio Don Giovanni New Zealand Opera and Steva Jenufa at La Monnaie, Brussels. Concerts include his New York recital debut, a recital series with Malcolm Martineau, Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, Elgar's The Kingdom at Kings College, Cambridge and appearances at Kings Place, Oxford Lieder Festival, St Johns Smith Square, Spitalfields festival and the Purcell Room. On stage, Nicky’s other roles include Brian in the World Premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys and Novice Billy Budd (dir. David Alden) for the ENO; Tamino The Magic

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Hailed recently by the Daily Telegraph as ‘a voice of real distinction’, Nicky Spence is fast emerging as one of ‘our finest young singers’. An artist of great integrity, Nicky’s unique skills as a singing actor and the rare honesty in his musicianship are steadfastly earning him a place at the top of the profession.

Highlights for this season include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Brian Two Boys, Steersman The Flying Dutchman in concert with the CBSO under Andris Nelsons and at Scottish Opera, his Grange Park Opera debut as Chevalier de la Force Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Don Ottavio Don Giovanni New Zealand Opera and Steva Jenufa at La Monnaie, Brussels. Concerts include his New York recital debut, a recital series with Malcolm Martineau, Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings, Elgar's The Kingdom at Kings College, Cambridge and appearances at Kings Place, Oxford Lieder Festival, St Johns Smith Square, Spitalfields festival and the Purcell Room.

On stage, Nicky’s other roles include Brian in the World Premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys and Novice Billy Budd (dir. David Alden) for the ENO; Tamino The Magic Flute (dir. Sir Thomas Allen) and Baron Lummer Intermezzo for Scottish Opera; Lampwick The Adventures of Pinocchio at Opera North; Quint The Turn of the Screw for Arcola Theatre, London and Opera North (c); Thomas Mason in Jenny McLeod’s opera Hohepa for New Zealand Opera; MacHeath The Beggar’s Opera, Tom Rakewell The Rake’s Progress and Jaquino Fidelio at Opera Holland Park. Future opera plans include Isacco La Gazza Ladra for Frankfurt Opera; Rodolphe Giullame Tell and Mambre Mosè in Egitto at WNO; Francesco Benvenuto Cellini in Amsterdam/ENO and David Die Meistersinger at the ENO.

Recent concert performances include Act 1 of Tristan and Isolde with the BBC Scottish Symphony and Donald Runnicles, Finzi’s Dies Natalis with the BBC Concert Orchestra and David Hill, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with L’Orchestre National d’Ile de France under Gordan Nikolic and at the Wigmore Hall with Chamber Domaine and Thomas Kemp, C-minor Mass at the Cadogan Hall with the English Chamber Orchestra, Brahms Liebesliederwalzer at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, a Beethoven recital at The Forge, a Britten Song-Cycle Series in Aldeburgh and a recital series at Kings Place as part of their Britten 100 celebrations.

An experienced recording artist, Nicky attracted a long-term recording contract with Universal Classics at a young age and has increasing recognition on stage, radio and television as a presenter and performer alike, having contributed to tours and Platinum Selling disks the world over. In latter years, he has enjoyed successful collaborations on record with Graham Johnson (Schumann: The Complete Songs Vol. 10 / Hyperion), Britten Songs with Malcolm Martineau (Onyx), Messiaen’s La Mort du Nombre with Sholto Kynoch (Stone Records) and a disc of premiere Hoddinott recordings.   Adding to his credentials in contemporary repertoire, his recent world-premiere recording of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s song cycle A Constant Obsession, for Resonus Classics, received uniformly excellent reviews.  Earlier this year, Nicky released his debut solo recital disc with Malcolm Martineau entitled As you like it: Shakespeare Songs, which brought him great acclaim: ‘Nicky Spence is a young singer with a lovely sound, an astonishingly varied emotional range, and a way of telling a story through a song that grips the listener and doesn’t let go… He has the true singer’s gift of communication, without which these works would just be pretty but dull sounds. Instead – with the help of some superb accompanying from Malcolm Martineau – he brings them alive with joy, pain, love, despair and wit.’ - Warwick Thompson. Future recording plans include a CD of Eichendorff settings by Wolf with Sholto Kynoch and a recital disc of French Repertoire with Malcolm Martineau for Chandos Records.

Nicky is currently a Harewood Artist at  the ENO, having trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the National Opera Studio.  A former Britten-Pears Young Artist, Georg Solti and Samling Scholar, Nicky’s awards also include the National Bruce Millar Opera Prize, the Kathleen Ferrier Young Singers Award, the Concordia Barthel Prize, the Sybil Tutton Award, a Young Classical Performer of the Year nomination at the Classical Brit Awards and inclusion into of the Gold Medal Final at the Guildhall School.

February 2013

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Reviews

"Spence’s voice is naturally thrilling, radiant and luminescent in just about every second of this programme, crossing stylistic boundaries with the silvery ease of a born entertainer…"

The Scotsman

"Nicky Spence is the helmsman with a twinkle in his eye. "

Scottish Opera: The Flying Dutchman, Festival Theatre, Review - Barnaby Miln, EdinburghGuide.com

"[Nicky Spence's] Steersman was delightful, slipping into yawns and slumber as he idled in his chair in Act I, though the singing always stayed pointed and vigorous."

The Flying Dutchman - Geoff Brown, The Times

"...Nicky Spence as the Steersman earned many chuckles in his inept watch-keeping in Act I. His more heroic moments, particularly his song to the south wind, were also good."

The Flying Dutchman - Rohan Shotton, bachtrack

"Fast-rising tenor sings songs inspired by the Bard - Rich and quite strange, to paraphrase Shakespeare, is the only possible summation of this dazzling, bewildering collection of songs written for and inspired by Shakespeare. Spence is game for anything, starting with usual suspects (Purcell, Schubert and Quilter), creating donkey noises for Wolfs 'Lied des transferierten ZetteP, going to emotional depths in Argento's marvellously spare Elizabethan Songs and bending his pliable tenor around the Cleo Laine-ish vocal lines in John Dankworth's 'Dunsinane Blues'."

'As You Like It' CD review - David Patrick Stearns, Gramophone

"Tenor Nicky Spence found it difficult not to steal the show from his fellow performers [...]. His charisma and trademark twinkle on Kurt Weill's Lonely House, from Street Scene, produced whooping and gruff chants of "Brilliant, son!" from the crowd."

Opera Highlights Tour, Scottish Opera - Marianne Gunn, Herald Scotland

"Nicky Spence’s impressively accomplished Prince Tamino, sung with beautiful lyricism and sensitivity from the re-emerging young Scottish tenor."

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - Carol Main, The List

"Nicky Spence sings sweetly and musically as a gentlemanly Tamino"

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph

"…the charming, ardent Nicky Spence"

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - Richard Morrison, The Times

"Nicky Spence is a perfect fit as Tamino, an easy actor with a smooth, bright tenor."

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - Kate Molleson, The Guardian

"…a riot from start to finish, finely crafted, vividly characterised, and teeming with telling detail… Nicky Spence glows as Tamino"

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - David Kettle, The Scotsman

"As Tamino, the tenor Nicky Spence, abundantly talented vocally and also a good actor, joined in with wry humour, loosening up a character who can seem strait-laced but never overplaying it. As the jokes flowed – about bird flu, hormones, Scottish accents and unfulfilled lust – it was clear that, in the wrong hands, all could fall dismally, irredeemably flat… It shows how gifted and well matched Burkhard and Spence were."

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - Fiona Maddocks, The Observer

"It’s wonderfully cast with Nicky Spence a splendid Tamino"

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - The Herald

"Nicky Spence’s fluent Tamino."

The Magic Flute, Scottish Opera - The Daily Express

"And the tenor Nicky Spence changed my conception of the Novice. [...] With his husky frame and penetrating voice, Mr. Spence was a different kind of victim: an overgrown weakling who will do anything to avoid pain and punishment. "

Billy Budd, ENO - Anthony TommasiniI, The New York Times

"This Novice [...] must have been pressed by someone other than Claggart, and Spence sang with bags of incisive tone and freshly conceived characterization, turning what can seem a minor role into a major one. "

Billy Budd, ENO - Rodney Miles, Opera Magazine

"There's a knockout novice in Nicky Spence (who enlarges the role to near-centrality)"

Billy Budd, ENO - Michael White, The Telegraph

"Other "featuring" performers steal the limelight. [...] Nicky Spence's Novice makes a small role bigger with trenchant singing and a larger-than-life persona."

Billy Budd, ENO - Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times

"Snivelling Squeak (Daniel Norman) and Nicky Spence's Novice, flogged and battered, made sharp impact."

Billy Budd, ENO - Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian

"Edward Gardner inspires his chorus and orchestra to great heights as bright young stars (Nicky Spence [...]) emerge from the ensemble. Thrilling. "

Billy Budd, ENO - Edward Seckerson, The Independent

"... there are major cameos from Gwyne Howell, Jonathan Summers, and Nicky Spence."

Billy Budd, ENO - John Allison, The Sunday Telegraph

"The chorus sings magnificently, and there is strong support from many of the soloists, including [...] Nicky Spence as the Novice. "

Billy Budd, ENO - Mike Silverman, San Jose Mercury News

"...Nicky Spence gave us some of the finest and most tender singing of the night."

Hohepa, NZ Opera - Kate McLean, Capital Times Wellington

"There are layers of vocal interest too [...] Nicky Spence as Thomas Mason has superb tone..."

Hohepa, NZ Opera - Michael Gilchrist, Theatreview

"The title comes from a ravishing song cycle that could hardly be more English. It's not only Turnage's harmonies or choice of poets [...] that defines the Britten-esque aesthetic, but also the theme of anguished love, which finds him at his most lyrical and accessible. Nicky Spence flatters the tenor lines, while the musicians [...] capture the moody luminosity of the instumental score."

CD Review: A Constant Obsession: Chamber Works by Mark Anthony Turnage. Andrew Clark, The Financial Times

"Nicky Spence is limpidly expressive (in a vocal part writtern for Mark Padmore)"

CD Review: A Constant Obsession: Three for Two. Four Chants, Turnage. Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone

"Nicky Spence is superb in the song cycle A Constant Obsession..."

CD Review: A Constant Obsession: Chamber Works by Mark Anthony Turnage. Ivan Hewett - Daily Telegraph

"[...]Nicky Spence delivers the song cycle A Constant Obsession with smoothness yet crystalline clarity"

CD Review - Turnage: Chamber Works. Editor's Choice, Classical Music Magazine

"A Constant Obsession...it receives a powerful performance. Dare I upset fans of Peter Pears by saying that I’d like to hear Nicky Spence now in preference to him in that Britten Serenade?"

CD Review: A Constant Obsession: Chamber works. Brian Wilson - Music Web International

"Tenor Nicky Spence is utterly beguiling in his moving readings of the timeless poetic texts, while easily negotiating the composer's lyrical meanderings."

CD Review: A Constant Obsession, Turnage. Michael Cameron, Fanfare Magazine

"Nicky Spence is a superb soloist here - elegant expressive lines and a firm sense of pitch..."

A Constant Obsession, Turnage - Stephen Johnson, BBC Music Magazine

"...superb artistry...with pungent playing from Chamber Domaine...and the agile voice of tenor Nicky Spence. The song cycle A Constant Obsession...all crafted and performed lovingly, right down to Spence's carefully rolled 'r' in the word 'ripening'."

A Constant Obsession, Turnage - Geoff Brown, The Times

"Tenor Nicky Spence has the sort of warmth to his voice that could melt a snowdrift..."

Phil Dennett, Mid Sussex Times.

"Up and coming tenor Nicky Spence...brought the required drama to The Vagabond, and a softer, very beautiful atmosphere to Let Beauty Awake and Youth and Love. His interpretation of the latter was one of the highlights of the evening, with the final line 'Call him with lighted lamp in the eventide' absolutely stunning. "

Leeds Lieder+, Laura Kate Wilson - Bach Track

"With Nicky Spence also in fine form as the wicked ghost Peter Quint, this was a great opportunity to see two of the fastest rising stars on the British opera scene."

Turn of the Screw, Grimeborn, 2011. William Hartston - Express.co.uk

"The crisp, lucid tenor Nicky Spence has most to do"

CD Review: Hoddinott: Landscapes; The Silver Hound; Towy Landscape, etc by Andrew Celemts - The Guardian

"Tenor Nicky Spence gives a performance of real distinction, capturing every detail of the text. His clean and robust sound is thrilling when enraptured with the music's drama, and almost whispers voyeuristically in telling the listener of the many paths on Traeth Bychan, a beach where lovers wander. Spence works very well with his gifted collaborator at the piano Andrew Matthews-Owen, as he word paints over very rich textures"

CD Review: Alun Hoddinott - Song Cycles and Folksongs. Caroline McGee - Musical Pointers

"Nicky Spence displayed much more vocal assurance in the central role of Brian...Spence conveyed poise and a depth of vocal presence through secure and powerful projection, and he commanded the melodic line without sacrificing a certain agility of touch. Spence's...assurance gives Two Boys an authoritative central vocal presence"

Two Boys, English National Opera, London Coliseum. Stephen Graham - MusicalCriticism.com

"Proving again that he’s a real star in the making, Nicky Spence gives the standout performance."

Two Boys, English National Opera, London Coliseum. Simon Thomas, WhatsOnStage.com.

"Nicky Spence outdid all expectation in the vocal authority and shading of teenager assailant Brian."

Two Boys, English National Opera, London Coliseum. Alexandra Coghlan - NewStatesman.

"Brian, sung superbly by the young Scottish tenor Nicky Spence."

Two Boys, English National Opera, London Coliseum. Michael Roddy, Reuters.

"Nicky Spence is extraordinarily credible as Brian, the apparently multiple individuals he gets mixed up with are brilliantly personified."

Two Boys, English National Opera, London Coliseum. George Hall, The Stage.

"Nicky Spence is always a vivid presence on stage and a joy to hear. The arias in which he sang...were lovely."

Two Boys, English National Opera, London Coliseum. Crispin Wellbeloved, GlobalNewsBox.com.

"Nicky Spence relishes the eight-year old composer’s Burns setting “O that I had ne’er been married."

CD Review - Britten: Songs Volume 1. Andrew Clark, Financial Times.

"Nicky Spence's Who are these Children? is the outstanding performance of this volume: he really sells these wonderful settings. . .characterising their compassion. He also bewitches with three other Soutar settings which Britten discarded from the cycle."

CD Review: Britten Songs, Vol. 2: 'Who are these Children'. Hilary Finch, BBC Music Magazine

"...Nicky Spence shone as a louche young Baron."

Intermezzo (Baron), Scottish Opera, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, March 2011.The Observer, Fiona Maddocks.

"...the stand-out performance comes from Nicky Spence, as the caddish Baron Lummer."

Intermezzo (Baron), Scottish Opera, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, March 2011. The Independent on Sunday, Anna Picard.

"Nicky Spence is the debonair but dishonest Baron, disguising his low intentions under some brilliant high notes..."

Intermezzo (Baron), Scottish Opera, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, March 2011. The Stage, George Hall.

"As for Nicky Spence, a Tom with this much flair and energy would be a find for any professional company."

The Rake's Progress, British Youth Opera, September 2009. Anna Picard - The Independant.

"Spence... broadly overcomes the awkwardness of adults playing children on the stage – and does it with arrestingly bright, bell-like resonance [...] Spence is turning out to be a voice of real distinction (ENO, Two Boys)"

The Telegraph

"The most human I've seen for a while, largely because Nicky Spence, who sang Tom, is such an engaging performer. Spence has so much natural charm and charisma - star quality, even - that the opera was made to seem even more sadistic than usual. His clear, open projection of the character - very much the 21st century everyman - had a strong and lyrical vocal tone and at Mother Goose's and in London, Tom was heartbreaklingly aware of his fall, full of nostalgia but addicted to easeful. corruption."

The Rake's Progress, British Youth Opera, September 2009. Opera Now Magazine

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Discography